Japanese with Manga

Determining the cause of death with 解剖

Kanji Explanation: Separating and understanding with 解

Manga panel from 名探偵コナン showing example of Determining the cause of death with 解剖.
名探偵コナン » Volume 16 » Page 25

Inspector Megure suggests the murder suspect committed suicide by drowning himself. The medical examiner disagrees.

監察医(かんさつい):
「ですが死因(しいん)は溺死(できし)ではありません…」
“However, drowning wasn't the cause of death...”
目暮(めぐれ):
「え？」
“What?”
監察医(かんさつい):
「解剖(かいぼう)してみないと断定(だんてい)できませんが…　おそらく毒物(どくぶつ)を飲(の)んだあと池(いけ)に入(はい)ったものと…」
“I can't say for certain without an autopsy... but it's likely he took poison and then entered the pond...”
Literal: “I can't determine it unless we try an autopsy... but perhaps he entered the pond after drinking poison...”

Key Points

1解剖(かいぼう) here means an autopsy
  • In this scene, 解剖(かいぼう) is a medical examination of the body after death.
  • The examiner needs it to determine the true cause of death, not just the apparent one.
2してみないと = unless we actually try doing it
  • 解剖(かいぼう)してみないと adds the sense of “unless we go ahead and perform one”.
  • The 〜てみる part is not “try for fun” here; it means carrying out the procedure to check.

Vocabulary

(Cause of death)

死因(しいん) means the cause of death. It is used in medical, legal, and investigative contexts.

(Definite conclusion)

断定(だんてい) means to make a definitive judgment or decision about facts or matters.

(Dissection)

解剖(かいぼう) refers to the process of cutting open an organism’s body to examine its internal structure and organs. It is also used metaphorically to describe the process of carefully analyzing the mechanisms or causes of something to uncover the truth.

(Drowning death)

溺死(できし) means death by drowning.

(Poisonous substance)

毒物(どくぶつ) is a general term for substances that adversely affect the vital functions of living organisms and cause health hazards or pose a threat to life.

See Also

名探偵コナン © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.